First, decide whether you need a redesign at all
Redesign is used for very different jobs. Some sites need new paint, some need a new structure, and some need a new foundation. Name the symptom before you choose the treatment, because the cost and the risk differ a great deal.
| Symptom | What usually fixes it | Risk to search traffic |
|---|---|---|
| The site looks dated but still brings enquiries | A visual refresh on the same structure and addresses | Low |
| Visitors cannot find what they came for | New navigation and page structure, with content rewritten around tasks | Medium, managed with redirects |
| Your team cannot update pages without a developer | A rebuild on a platform your editors can use | Medium, addresses can often stay the same |
| Pages are slow, especially on phones | Performance work first, and a rebuild only if the platform is the cause | Low |
| The business or brand has changed | A full redesign of structure, content and design | High unless the move is planned page by page |
If the answer is a full redesign, the rest of this checklist applies. If it is a refresh, stages 1 and 5 still do. For the wider choice of who should do the work, see how to choose a website development company.
Stage 1. Audit what you have
You cannot protect what you have not measured. Collect these before any design work starts, and keep the exports. You will compare against them after launch.
Audit checklist
0 of 8 checkedStage 2. Decide what must not be lost
Sort the address list from the audit into four groups. This single decision prevents most of the losses a redesign can cause.
| Group | What goes in it | What happens to it |
|---|---|---|
| Keep | Pages with search traffic, links or conversions | Carried over with the same address where possible, and the same or better content |
| Improve | Pages on the right topic that perform poorly | Rewritten, and redirected if the address changes |
| Merge | Several thin pages on one topic | Combined into one stronger page, with every old address redirected to it |
| Retire | Outdated pages with no traffic and no links | Removed, with a redirect to the closest relevant page |
Changing an address only to make it tidier is rarely worth it. Every changed address depends on a redirect working forever. Keep the addresses that already perform.
Stage 3. Define what the new site has to achieve
- 01
Set three to five goals, in order
Each with a measure and a starting value taken from the audit.
- 02
Draw the new structure
A sitemap that shows every page type, built around what visitors come to do.
- 03
Plan the content
For each page, who writes it, who approves it and what source material exists. Content is the most common cause of late launches.
- 04
Agree the design direction
Brand assets, references and what should feel different from today.
- 05
List functions and integrations
Forms, search, booking, languages and each system the site connects to.
These five items are also the core of a project brief. If you are asking companies to quote, our guide to writing a website project brief has a template you can copy.
Stage 4. Plan the move, address by address
A redirect map is a table with one row for every old address and the new address that replaces it. It is dull work and it is the most valuable document in the project. Build it from the audit list, not from memory.
Part of a redirect map
The addresses are invented. A real map has one row for every address found in the audit.
| Old address | New address | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| /services.html | /services | Same page on the new platform |
| /services/web-design-and-seo | /services/website-design | Two services split into separate pages, this one is the closest match |
| /blog/2019/five-tips | /guides/website-planning | Thin article merged into a stronger guide |
| /team/former-employee | /about | Page retired, sent to the closest relevant page |
| /promo-spring | /services | Old campaign page that still receives links |
Each old address points to one specific page. Sending everything to the home page looks like a shortcut and loses most of the value the old pages had earned.
Plan alongside the map
- Page titles and descriptions for every new page, checked against what the old page ranked for
- Tracking, with the same events and conversions as before, so results can be compared
- A content freeze date, after which changes go to the new site only
- A test environment that search engines cannot index, and a launch step that removes the block
Stage 5. Launch, then watch
Launch day checklist
0 of 8 checkedExpect search positions to move for a while after a large change. Compare against your audit numbers by page, fix missing redirects quickly, and resist changing addresses again while things settle.
Mistakes that cost traffic
- Launching without redirects, or redirecting every old address to the home page
- Changing every address for the sake of a cleaner structure
- Deleting long pages that ranked because they looked heavy in the new design
- Leaving the block on search engines from the test environment in place
- Rewriting page titles without checking what each page was found for
- Removing tracking, so that nobody can tell whether the new site performs better
What to do next
Start with the audit. It takes little time, costs little and tells you which of the five treatments you need. If you would like the audit and the redirect map handled as part of the build, that is how our website redesign work is run, and a UX audit is a good first step when you are unsure what is wrong.
You can also send us your current address and what worries you about it. On a free 30-minute call we will say which stage we would start from.
Common questions
Will a redesign hurt my search rankings?
It can, and it does not have to. Rankings fall when pages disappear, addresses change without redirects or content that ranked is removed. When each old address maps to a relevant new page and the content is kept or improved, the main causes of loss are removed. Some movement right after launch is normal, which is why the audit numbers matter. They tell you whether a change is noise or a problem.
How do I know which pages to keep?
Use data, not opinion. Keep any page that brings search visits, has links from other sites or appears in the journeys of people who enquire or buy. Analytics and Search Console show all three. Pages with none of these for a full year are candidates to merge or retire.
Should I change platform or domain at the same time as the design?
Changing platform during a redesign is common and manageable. Changing the domain as well adds risk, because search engines must relearn the whole site at once. If you can separate the domain change from the redesign, do. If you cannot, plan the redirect map with extra care.
What is the difference between a refresh and a redesign?
A refresh changes how the site looks while structure, addresses and most content stay. A redesign changes structure and content as well. A rebuild moves the site to a new platform and may or may not change the design. The risk to search traffic rises in that order.
When can the old site be switched off?
Once the new site is live and every old address redirects, visitors no longer reach the old one. Keep a private copy of its files and data for reference. The redirects themselves should stay in place for as long as the domain is yours.
